CURTIS MARTIN ALLEN Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Curt M. Allen, died at his home in Grass Valley, CA, on January 3, 2018. He was 60. A brilliant electronics engineer and holder of many patents, his achievements included the invention of a ground-penetrating radar device that can detect human respiration and heartbeat through two feet of concrete. He was thus a designated First Responder who was flown from Santa Barbara, California, where he resided at the time, (on one of only two aircraft in the nation that were not grounded–the other being Air Force One with President George W. Bush onboard), to the scene of the horrific disaster in New York City of 9-11-2001. As a result of his heroic participation in the rescue efforts, he was one of those honored by the President at a special gathering. For twenty years Curt worked at the Santa Barbara Research Center of Space Technology Labs under a joint venture of Lockheed-Martin and EG&G. Prior to that he worked at Hewlett-Packard in Colorado. As a member of the Baha'i Faith, he served for a period of some months as a volunteer at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel. At the time of his passing Curt had been suffering for several years from chronic maladies that defied diagnosis and treatment. Nonetheless, in the last years of his retirement he provided kind companionship and care for his elderly mother and enjoyed serving at the Center of the Arts in Grass Valley, where he was designated a Volunteer of the Year. He also found joy in assisting locally with Wildlife Rescue. He is survived by his mother Terri Allen, of Grass Valley; his father Donald P. Allen, of Redwood City, CA; his sister Leslie A. Platner, of Mountain View, CA; his brother Paul D. Allen, of Emerald Hills, CA; and their extended families. In lieu of purchasing flowers, the family requests that donations go to Nevada County Food Bank: https://foodbankofnc.org.

CURTIS MARTIN ALLEN

May 3, 1957 - January 3, 2018